Summer Community Organization and Political Education

Dr. King speaks about the Southern Christian Leadership Conference's Summer Community Organization and Political Education Project (SCOPE). He also talks about the political advancements that were made in the south.

This April/May 1964 SCLC newsletter highlights the recent accomplishments of the SCLC and its members. Some of the topics discussed are the 50-mile march from Selma to Montgomery, Ben Hooks' recent judicial appointment, and Dr. King being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

Operation Breadbasket, unemployment, poverty, nonviolence, Negro voter registration, and a financial report are just several of the topics covered in this informational pamphlet detailing the ways in which monies were divided amongst the many functions of the SCLC.

This press release announces the Virginia State Unit of the SCLC's appeal to Governor Albertis Harrison in hopes that he will establish a "Nobel Peace Prize Day" in honor of Dr. King. The proposed day will possibly be held in conjunction with a speech Dr. King will deliver at Virginia State College and the Virginia SCLC State Convention.

In this statement for the Amsterdam News, Dr. King assures that a victory is in the midst regarding the Senate's recent passage of the voting bill. He elaborates on the objectives of SCOPE, as there is much to accomplish. He ends the statement with the battle cry, "Let My People Vote."

Leonard Zion writes Dr. King stating that SCOPE (Summer Community Organization and Political Action) is organizing students and faculty at Brandeis University in Massachusetts to raise $40,000 to support him. The SCOPE project was run under the auspices of the Atlanta-based SCLC.

Philip E. Jones, a SCOPE volunteer, recollects a "terrible night at Canton, Mississippi" where he met Dr. King and was assigned the duty to find Rev. Young. Jones invites Dr. King to speak about civil rights issues at Juniata College where he is enrolled.

Ralph D. Abernathy, Vice President and Financial Secretary-Treasurer of the SCLC, sends a check as a gift to John Lewis, Chairman of SNCC. Abernathy also informs Lewis of the SCLC's financial situation, which prevents the organization from making a loan to SNCC.

In this statement, Dr. King describes the Summer Community Organization and Political Education (SCOPE), an initiative of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Its goals are to train local leaders, inform the public, and register individuals to vote.

Dr King delivered this report at the SCLC's ninth annual national convention in Birmingham, Alabama. Serving essentially as a State of the Union address for the SCLC, the report touches on the major topics of the Civil Rights Movement and the recent achievements and goals of the SCLC.

The cover story for this 1965 SCLC Newsletter features Dr. King leading a March in Chicago, and also includes the usual wide gamut of Civil Rights Movement issues. Editor Ed Clayton's column discusses the "loss of fear" among Negroes, who "never again will be systematically excluded from office, or driven back from the voting booth."

This pamphlet is a product of the Summer Community Organization and Political Education project (SCOPE), a project initiated by the SCLC dedicated to increasing voter participation and political education in Alabama and throughout the South. The pamphlet highlights several common economic and political issues that face Negro communities.

The United States National Student Association prepares to publish the second edition of SCOPE, a directory of community service projects in which students can become involved during the summer months. A questionnaire is enclosed for organizations interested in listing their program.